5 posts from April 28, 2013

April 28, 2013

-- Injuries took apart the Panthers as they led the league with 338 man games lost. Sure, some minor players were gone, but Florida really struggled without the likes of Stephen Weiss (17 games played), Kris Versteeg (10), Jose Theodore (15), Ed Jovanovski (six) and Sean Bergenheim (none).

-- The Panthers felt good after a rousing 5-1 win over Carolina to open things up, but things went south in a hurry. Florida lost its next five games and never recovered, finishing last among the 30 NHL teams.

-- Goaltenders Theodore and Scott Clemmensen got off to rough starts with Theodore tearing two groin muscles right as he was turning things around. Jacob Markstrom came up and showed promise as the future starter.

-- Florida's penalty kill was not only last in the league, but it was statistically the worst since at least 1997-98 (that's as far back as the NHL stats go). The Panthers gave up power play goals almost 26 percent of the time.

-- The Panthers got shutout seven times this season as consistent scoring was a problem throughout. The Panthers ended tied for last in goals scored and 29th in 5-on-5 scoring.

FIVE THINGS THAT WENT RIGHT

-- With so many injuries, the Panthers were forced to plug holes with younger players. The experience could prove beneficial in the future as Markstrom, Drew Shore, Nick Bjugstad and Quinton Howden found what it takes to succeed at this level. Jonathan Huberdeau looks like a future star as he tied for the rookie scoring title.

-- Without Weiss, Versteeg and Bergenheim, the Panthers got strong offensive seasons from Tomas Fleischmann (who led the team in scoring for the second straight season), Tomas Kopecky, Huberdeau and Shawn Matthias.

-- Florida's power play went through stretches without production, but for the most part was pretty good. The Panthers ended with a 20.4 percent success rate -- ranked sixth in the league.

-- Believe it or not, finishing last for the first time in franchise history may prove to be something that went right. The Panthers will find out Monday whether they will pick first or second in this top-heavy draft. Florida ended the season with 10 players on the roster who are 25 or younger and will add to that youth in June.

-- If you are going to have a season like this, at least let it be a short one.

Before speaking to the media Sunday afternoon, Stephen Weiss pulled off his baseball cap and tossed it into the locker stall that used to have his name on it.

Weiss says he hopes that locker space becomes his once more -- and says the Panthers have shown interest in bringing him back.

There are a few factors which could end Weiss' career with the Panthers. The main one, of course, being money.

If the two sides don't come together, it's extremely possible Weiss' return to the BB&T Center for Sunday's season-ending locker clean out day could be his last with the Panthers.

Florida ended the 2013 season with a 5-3 win over the Lightning on Saturday.

"I think the consensus is they want me back and I want to be back,'' said Weiss, who made his debut with the Panthers in 2002. "It's just a matter of the numbers game. .-.-. It's a business. Sometimes those things don't fit and don't make sense. I understand that. We'll see what we can do.''

How to handle the Weiss situation is just one of the many issues facing general manager Dale Tallon heading into this offseason.

Tallon, coach Kevin Dineen and many players talked about how the direction of the franchise shouldn't be judged on 2013's last-place finish. The Panthers lost a number of key players - Weiss included - for much of the 48-game season because of injuries.

Weiss is Florida's only major unrestricted free agent going into the offseason although the team seems to have interest in bringing back goalie Jose Theodore to compete with Jacob Markstrom.

"I want us to get better. I want to win,'' Tallon said. "I want to build on what we did last year and not tear down everything just because we had a 48-game season that wasn't an effective one. I'm going to erase this and keep adding pieces to the puzzle.''

The Panthers finished last in the NHL for the first time in franchise history and Dineen says things will change in Sunrise. Dineen and his coaching staff won't be one of the changes.

Dineen and his assistant coaches are signed through next season and Tallon said they would all return for the 2013-14 campaign.

"To be in the situation that the Panthers did this year, you have to address things as a team and we're going to continue to do that,'' Dineen said.

NEWS AND NOTES

The Panthers have a 25 percent chance to claim the top pick in the upcoming draft with the lottery held Monday night in Toronto.

Tallon says he is taking his lucky cloverleaf to Toronto for the televised event. If Florida doesn't win the top selection, it will pick second.

"We should get some exciting new pieces,'' Tallon said. "I'm excited about our future. The past is the past.''

-- Winger Kris Versteeg had knee surgery on March 25. Vertseeg says he has been off crutches for the past two weeks but won't be cleared to skate until August.

Versteeg also said he probably won't be ready for the start of the season. A November return, he said, is possible.

-- Theodore reiterated his desire to return to the Panthers next season but made it clear he would be fighting for the starting job and wouldn't just accept being Markstrom's backup.

Scott Clemmensen is signed through next season and could return if the Panthers decide not to bring Theodore back.

-- The Panthers will have a number of players competing in the upcoming IIHF World Championships starting in Sweden and Finland later this week.